There are a lot of facts and rumours going around about numerous changes in the YSW bar & restaurant scene happening now or in the next few months.

Tell us what you know, ideally confirmed by first-hand sources.I'll start, but without any guarantees as some of these "news" are not confirmed yet. Please let me know, which of my infos below is wrong, out-of-date or incomplete. Thanks!

Thai Plus opened up recently, new menus, in the former Chinese noodle shop besides Best Kebab, replacing the former Number One (Thai) which moved to the right. Both places are run by the same owners.Together with the Thai Thai snack place in Tai Yuen, we've got 3 Thai places now!

Lamma Grill: currently being renovated, opening up in the former C-5 Pinoy store location in Tai Yuen Village, besides the Yan Yan Store, in "6-8 weeks".

LaLa mama: will remain open till Jan 2013 when Jackson Property will tear down and rebuild the two adjacent buildings, including his own G/F property agency. New Chin. takeaways, convenient for commuters returning from town in the evenings.

Just Green's Living Room: Becoming a new and popular self-service bar with its cozy couches, bakeries and a popular harbourside terrace. Available for events like the recent Indian music concert and the Philosophy Cafe tonight.

7th Avenue: Will they start serving food every day soon and what are their opening hours?

Former Mr Kebab: An empty building in an absolute prime location, marked for demolition and rebuilding, it seems that the landlord is showing the place to several new prospective tenants these weeks. Rumours of another short-term restaurant opening in there this year as the demolition might have been postponed once again??

Jing Jing Bar: What's happening?

Diesel's will survive till next year, when the owner will tear it down to replace it with 2 new Village Houses.Maybe, perhaps, hopefully Diesel's will reopen in one of the 2 G/F places.

Sau Kee Rest. (opposite Diesel's): New management in the next few months? Perhaps somebody we know? This has been rumoured for at least 2 years....

Fruit & convenience store, at Nick's Corner: Closed down after over 10 years, stripped bare, even the floor being jackhammered right now (Apr 24), to be completely redecorated. To be replaced by another convenience store with endless snacks and processed junk foods? Or another artsy tourist trinkets shop? Who knows more?

Rural Committee (North Lamma) (opposite HSBC): Currently scaffolded up and netted in, to be repainted in a pretty yellow, according to Chairman Chan who told me in person.Would the seriously underused upstairs conference room in there not make a cool nightclub? The numerous Lamma DJs need a local venue and the neighbouring Policebox Might not dare to complain about the "excessive noise levels" after 11pm in this official venue! How about monthly, in-door DickStocks?

Sau Kee Seafood restaurant is definitely closing end of May, confirmed by their very friendly, long-time staff some of whom will lose their jobs. The place will be taken over, after some renovation and redecoration, by the former managers of Lamcombe Rest, Andy & Elizabeth, and some of their former staff

7th Avenue is now serving "Pizza, Curry, Pasta" during some of their still a bit mysterious, irregular opening hours. Quite a number of tables were occupied yesterday afternoon, so people are starting to discover it.
No details on the food yet and they've been too busy to update their website or Facebook page, but could somebody trying the food with friends give us a little overview or even a review, please?

7th Avenue:After some further enquiries, their Director/Investor emailed me their full and extensive range of drinks and a daily changing food menu that includes:
Spaghetti Carbonara/Puttanesca, Chicken Curry, Lamb Biriyani, Chili Con Carne, range of Pizzas, Calzone, plus bar snacks and desserts, all well below or up to a maximum of $100.
Who'll submit the very first food review?

Plans for the future:
outdoor grill/BBQ, games/competition nights, opening earlier for breakfast and lunch, showing Olympics and Euro 2012 on a large projector screen this summer. Website in progress, Facebook page for now.

They're closing down after decades, renting the entire place to the former Lamcombe management, Andy & Elizabeth who'll reopen Sau Kee under the same name in due course after some renovations, extending the current opening hours to serve lunch on week days as well.

It looks like (almost) all staff will lose or give up their jobs and some of their former, loyal Lamcombe staff will return.

Lamma-Por and I are quite sad to see the Chow clan give up their "family restaurant", a place we've visited at least once a week for their reasonably-priced, tasty dinners and friendly, cheerful service in this local, non-touristy, not top-priced seafood rest.

But we're also excited, like many Lammaites, about some of our friends, the former Lamcombe management & staff, return to doing what they did so well before, just a few years back.

Sau Kee Seafood Rest. (opposite Diesel's) has finally closed on May 31.
It's currently undergoing complete and extensive interior renovation and redecoration. After 40+ years under family management, it'll reopen under the same name (most likely), but managed by the former Lamcombe rest. management and some of their former staff.

Jing Jing bar has closed down as a Chinese-run bar and has reopened on Friday, June 8, as a Western-style one, right on time for the very first after-midnight Euro football live games. They've even added food (giant English breakfasts for $65, lowest price in the village?) to the former drinks-only offerings!
They write: "Jing Jing is by far the best place to watch the footie because it's got 3 LCD screens and it's fully air-conditioned! (Think about it - Diesel's, Fountainhead, 7th Avenue - the other bars showing the games live are all open-fronted!)"

7th Avenue didn't take this fighting talk lying down and showed off their brand-new 42" LCD screen for the footie and promised a large projector arriving soon. They've got a great selection of unusual beers on tap and an ever-expanding food menu with bar food and popular pizzas, but also Indian dishes (using Ryan's Lamma-made yogurt). This cozy and beautifully decorated venue might attract quite a crowd to join footie fanatic Saheb running and managing the place.

Waterfront and Island Bar are not showing the games at all ($4,000+/month for the Thai satellite in a bar and you need to sign on for 24 months!), so there's only a few bars competing for this after-midnight biz.

Diesel's Sports Bar still has a full year to go before the landlord will tear down this almost-historic building and erect two village houses in that spot, collecting 6 rents instead of only one. Diesel's will probably survive in some form, either in one of the new buildings or in a new location!

Did anybody get the free Zhongzhi (Dragonboat Festival dumpling) this morning at 9am at the Rural Committee building?
They handed out 370 portions (plus a bag full of food goodies) to any Lammaite 65+ who pre-registered at their office, see the several posters and banners all over the village (in Chinese only, as usual these days.)

Tai Hang Rest. (vis-a-vis Diesel's) has been closed for quite some time, not sure yet if it's permanent or just temporary. A fine Dim Sum place for regulars before - "I've come here almost every day for the last 20 years!" - plus the occasional invitation-only chef's dinner for groups (where you get what the chef cooks up, no choice or menu). This was a popular place for insiders, even Chow Yun-fat has been spotted in there occasionally.

Careful when eating outside in our brightly lit Chin. seafood restaurants, the ants are still swarming, attracted by the very bright neon strip lighting, getting into your hair, clothes, bags and food. We had a pleasant enough seaside dinner in Lamcombe last night, till the swarms arrived, see below. We've had the same experience in the now closed-for-total-makeover Sau Kee Rest. just a few weeks ago.

Genuine Lamma Hilton, Sok Kwu Wan:After 42 years in business they had kind of a farewell buffet menu last Sat afternoon, 60 dishes and even a free wine buffet! See Lamma-zine story and photos in progress. To be relaunched in Aug with a Cantonese & Thai menu, a first for Sok Kwu Wan, I think.

Jing Jing: (opposte Diesel's, see photo below): Great 9am-5pm menu with 2 pages of Western breakfast options, tested and recommended by myself. But no coffee and no Wifi yet. Eagerly waiting....

Andy Yu, his wife Elizabeth have taken a 2-year lease and are off to a great start, filling the place already on the first night. We've seen more non-Chinese guests in there on opening night than Sau Kee used to get in an entire week (including myself) before. Several of their former "extended family" of cooks and waiters in Lamcombe have returned.

On opening night, it was the usual suspects eager to try any new place and well enough off to afford the new, also renovated prices, comparable to other Chin. seafood restaurants on Lamma, like Man Fung, Sampan, Rainbow, Lamma Hilton, not shy with triple-digit price tags for single seafood-related dishes. "Live Seafood at Market Price" fills the first several pages of the very pretty, extensive, laminated menu.

A quite classy seafood place has replaced the former family-type, low-key restaurant. But it looks like they still offer the old, beloved, reasonably-priced classics from Andy's and Elizabeth's former rest., Lamcombe, just a few years ago! If you refrain from the seafood specialties, you could eat there for well below $100/person.

But we left hungry - most unusual in a Chin. rest. - the fried rice didn't show up even after 1.5 hours of waiting and many reminders to various waiters, till we gave up and took away our by now cold, oily main dish. But we'll surely be back soon, when the cooks and waiters will have settled into a new routine and look less frazzled, hectic and overwhelmed than on opening day.

But the views at and especially after sunset made more than up for the long wait, see below, a very long, ever-changing sunset so spectacular that it warrants a separate Lamma-zine photo story. Make sure to get a seaside table! This might become another fave and regular for our frequent sunset watching and dinner!

I went to the new Lancombe for dinner tonight, and was expecting it to be slightly chaotic , and that there may still be 'teething problems' due to still being a new restaurant and kitchen, and a busy holiday weekend.

However, It was simply wonderful. A sincere greeting at the door, and it was lovely to see most of the prior staff that used to work there before.

I was happy enough with just the above, and seeing a former Lamma Institution being reinstated, but I also have to admit that the food was simply superb. Lots of delicious seafood and our usual favourite dishes that my friends and I used to eat.

Maybe lucky, as they were extremely busy, but the food was delicious, food arrived quickly, great service, and we all had a wonderful time.

Of course I have to have a gripe And the only one I could find is that it was actually 'outside' but felt like 'inside' due to the lighting. it was a tad bright so it was hard to see the beautiful YSW harbour view.

I'm sure with constructive feedback though, Andy and Co at the New Lancombe will sort that out. Shall have a chat with him next time I pop in for some good food

Well, at least the new lighting is power-saving light bulbs, see below. Maybe it won't attract as many swarming bugs, winged ants and moths as the former strip lighting in there.

But should we really call this the "New Lancombe"?, instead of "Andy's Seafood", a much better name, I think. Where did Lancombe with an n originate? It's never been called that in any of their signs or menus, to my knowledge, always Lamcombe with an m. And what's a Lamcombe anyway? Even Andy wasn't sure when I asked him years ago.

As the clearest days of the year are beginning now, this place will become a frrquent sunset hangout for this "Photography Enthusiast" (as the Hans Andersen Club newsletter called me) who's shooting almost anything with his little shirt pocket camera with ultra-zoom which I carry everywhere, even shooting light bulbs....

Some people might have noticed the demise of Lamma's first independent wine-only shop/bar this summer, run by Wayne, a former accountant, opposite the Bookworm Cafe. It's proven to be difficult to run a traditional wine shop/bar in YSW profitably, even though white wine is the most popular single drink in some bars this summer.

The tiny location, basically an extension or outdoor area of the Bookworm Cafe has recently reopened as the "Classroom", run by Bookworm's Ken. See the first birthday party in this nice location which ties in very nicely with the decor and atmosphere of the Bookworm Cafe opposite. But why is it called "Classroom", not an inviting name for most people, definitely very different ones from a friendly , relaxed place to hang out with friends, sharing a drink and conversation.

No details of the "menu" (same as Bookworm, I assume?), drinks or opening hours available yet, but the Classroom will probably be focusing mainly on the weekend crowds and have the same opening hours as the Bookworm (which I still wonder about as they're quite often closed at random times during week days, usually without any notice).

This concept of a special named section inside a shop or restaurant reminds strongly of the "Living Room" in the nearby Just Green organic shop with a similar cozy setting, but with couches, open to anybody to have a drink, like a glass of wine, and share some friendly discussion, like the Philosophy Cafés happening in there every month.

Here's an iPhone photo I got from Kumar yesterday, taken at a stag party in the Waterfront Bar & Rest. The party did the rounds of over 10 bars all over HK, even making up a T-shirt and a special Monopoly board (HK edition) with the names and pictures of all the bars, a bit like a treasure hunt with all the spots being bars.

Here's their Monopoly board, see the Waterfront picture tile bottom at the bottom right. High-stakes Monopoly seems to be what Lamma's property owners are playing these days, buy property low (years ago), sell at maximum peak prices (right now), drive the other players into bankruptcy and win the game....

As Kumar informs me there were no strippers involved in the Waterfront stopover of this HK-wide stag party. No info of how many revellers ever managed to complete their circuit of bars, as there must have been many dropouts along the route.

On weekends and holidays the barbeque grill will be open with Chicken, other meats, fish and other goodies. On weekdays pasta with various sauces and other dishes are available in the open air restaurant. A few interesting beers are on the drink menu and prices are reasonable for the Sok Kwu Wan side.

Any news and photos and reviews, please post here, if you're passing by this place.

Lo So is just about the only place you can stop for a drink in SKW without feeling you're imposing on a restaurant operation. It's an interesting mix of Chinese and expat tastes - some unusual budget beers -- but a seat by the water in the late afternoon (for those without regular employ) is quite pleasant. Carmen is an entertaining hostess in several languages.

Directly from the proprietor's mouth, not a Lamma rumour, they leased (not bought) the entire place, renovating the kitchen, redecorating it, to be reopened around Chinese New Year as a traditional steakhouse.

More details are known, but not for publication yet. You'll hear much more once they're ready to announce more.

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